Chicago Tribune

So far, so good for Sola

Ex-Deleece chef excels in the details
By Phil Vettel

Sola is a culinary declaration of independence, a very personal statement by a chef/restaurateur who clearly sweats the details.

And, not coincidentally, it's a terrific restaurant.

Carol Wallack, the one-time chef at Deleece (which is still owned by her sister, Lynne Wallack-Handler), opened Sola in January in the North Center neighborhood, about a dozen blocks west of her former haunt.

Wallack originally considered a location a bit farther west--Maui, where she has a second home--but when circumstances prevented that move, she sensibly chose an area where her cooking already had a following.

Sola, however, is not Deleece West, though the restaurants' menus share a dish or two. This restaurant is very much Wallack's vision--a minimalist, light-filled area with contemporary decor, upscale cooking and a focus on service that borders on the fanatical.

Indeed, the name Sola is a feminization of the word "solo," though Wallack is quick to share credit for the restaurant with her co-workers, specifically sous chef ("and soon to be chef de cuisine," she says) Vince Zhanay.

Wallack's food demonstrates a love of texture and a fondness for spice, and a master's touch with both. It begins with the bread basket, which includes pretzel rolls, multigrain bread and crispy flatbread so spicy that busboys have taken to issuing warnings as they set each basket down.